MIA

LE

There was a tale which although I can't substantiate had the ring of truth to it.

Back in those days when Television was still broadcast on VHF and picked up with those old giant H and X aerials. A Radio Telegraphist Apprentice at Harrogate used a D11 to transmit voice over the BBC and changed the ending to Jackanory to something rude.

Crow

Yes, some tales were going about in the early 80's.
One of which about a knackered lion at Herford, bug eyed with hair falling out called Clarence. By all accounts the sprogs would get thrown at him, to see the reaction. Tale goes that it used to be harmless, till they put a Puma in with him, which changed things. Did visit Herford and ended up in Billies bar (I think) next to the gate, bout as far as we got.
Happy days

MIA

Yes, some tales were going about in the early 80's.
One of which about a knackered lion at Herford, bug eyed with hair falling out called Clarence. By all accounts the sprogs would get thrown at him, to see the reaction. Tale goes that it used to be harmless, till they put a Puma in with him, which changed things. Did visit Herford and ended up in Billies bar (I think) next to the gate, bout as far as we got.
Happy days

LE

Yes, some tales were going about in the early 80's.
One of which about a knackered lion at Herford, bug eyed with hair falling out called Clarence. By all accounts the sprogs would get thrown at him, to see the reaction. Tale goes that it used to be harmless, till they put a Puma in with him, which changed things. Did visit Herford and ended up in Billies bar (I think) next to the gate, bout as far as we got.
Happy days

LE

There was a tale which although I can't substantiate had the ring of truth to it.

Back in those days when Television was still broadcast on VHF and picked up with those old giant H and X aerials. A Radio Telegraphist Apprentice at Harrogate used a D11 to transmit voice over the BBC and changed the ending to Jackanory to something rude.

LE

One very dark night, I was conducting a Counter Terrorist Security Survey of th perimeter of Maresfield Barracks in Herford with my WRAC Clerk, a not unattractive young lady who looked quite presentable in civvies avec really high heels!

Those who knew the barracks perimeter well, would know that it was allegedly covered by a line of fixed focal CCTV cameras, and that in places the chain link perimeter fence had been cut at the bottom, so that lazy squaddies could enter the barracks surrepticiously. Any way I digress. By the time we had completed most of the fence-line without being detected, and Liz, my lovely Clerk leaning heavily on me because her shoes had got stuck in the mud, we ended up walking through the Tierpark and onto the Car Park at the front.

It was here that I noticed some very violent and threatening movements. Thinking that the Lions, or even Puma had escaped, I shone my powerful Maglite directly at the object.

It was a small Fiat 850 with the two occupants engaged in a frenzied practice of testing the shock absorbers. When confronted by the beam of the Maglite they appeared quite shocked and frightened, but not as frightened as young Liz who feared we would be reported as peeping toms!......Foolish Girl.

I can honestly say I've never gone to bed with an ugly woman - but I've woken up with quite a few !

A Camel can go without water for 8 days - But who wants to be a Camel !

MIA

On keeping wild animals in ones' room; the engineers at a mine in East Kalimantan had an orang utan which they trained to fetch beer from the fridge on demand, which was nice. A former FFL chap in my company found a sick adult Ruppells Vulture near the mine in Mauritania, and kept the filthy thing in his room for a couple of weeks, feeding it by hand. Scared the shit out of me.

LE

Behind the 7sigs QMs' buildings in Maresfield barracks just over the fence there was an enclosure with a small troop of baboons, the front of the enclosure had a moat, and there were telegraph poles set in the ground for the baboons to climb on.

One hot sunny weekend day I was on south camp prowler with the storeman from the QM(A) and for some reason* he thought it would be funny to throw a big sharp bit of gravel at the red arse of the biggest dog baboon which was sunning itself on the highest pole. It hit the poor thing right on the cheek and it leapt into the air and turned around screeching and waving its arms about in anger, and getting noticeably more angry at my mates laughter.

Second lap as we walked past the same point my mate was skelped right in the face with a sharp stone, hard enough to draw blood, accompanied by the whole troop of baboons jumping up and down and laughing, with the big chap bouncing up and down on top of his telegraph pole.

*probably because he was a dick TBH.

This nation brought the world television, the steam engine, golf, whisky, penicillin, & of course the deep-fried Mars bar. It is great being Scottish.